Display unit

ABSTRACT

Provided is a display unit that includes: a display panel having a pair of substrates that are bonded to each other in a seal region along an outer edge of the display panel; a transparent plate facing the display panel; an optical film provided on a surface of the display panel which faces the transparent plate, and having an outer edge positioned over the seal region; and a resin layer sandwiched between the optical film and the transparent plate.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Priority PatentApplication JP2013-114522 filed May 30, 2013, the entire contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a display unit for, for example,television apparatuses.

In recent years, display units, such as liquid crystal and organicelectroluminescence (EL) display units, have been used as displaymonitors for thin-screen television apparatuses, notebook personalcomputers, car navigation systems, and the like. Some known types ofdisplay units are equipped with front plates in order to protect theirfront surfaces or enhance their appearances. Specifically, these frontplates are made of plastic, glass, or some other transparent plate, andattached to the front (display) surfaces of the display panels (forexample, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications No.H03-204616, H06-337411, 2005-55641, and 2008-281997).

For the purpose of enhancing an image quality or appearance, a frontplate, as described above, may undergo a light shielding treatment in aregion facing a non-display (frame) portion of a display panel. Morespecifically, a light shielding layer may be formed in a frame-shapedperipheral region on a front panel, for example, by depositing orprinting a light-shielding material or bonding an opaque sheet material.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H03-204616 aimsto prevent an image quality from being lowered by light reflected at theinterface between a front plate and a display panel, and proposesinterposing a transparent substance with an adjusted refractive indexbetween them. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications No.H06-337411, 2005-55641, and 2008-281997 describe a liquid, a gel sheet,an adhesive sheet, a light curing resin, and the like, as examples ofthe transparent substance above.

SUMMARY

When a light curing resin is used as the transparent substance, forexample, it may be disposed between the display panel and the frontplate, and then cured by irradiating the front or side of the frontplate with light. Use of such a light curing resin eliminates a risk ofcausing leaks, as opposed to a case of using a liquid material, and doesnot easily permit the entry of dust or the generation of air bubblesduring manufacturing processing, as opposed to a case of using anadhesive sheet. In addition, use of a light curing resin enables thedisplay panel and the front plate to be bonded to each other,independently of strain on the display panel, a step structure thereof,and the like.

However, if a resin layer made of a light curing resin is interposedbetween a front plate and a liquid crystal display panel that hassurfaces to which optical films such as polarizing plates are bonded,some disadvantages may arise; for example, frame-shaped displayunevenness appears at the periphery of an image display section,geometric strain occurs on the front surface of the front panel, and soon.

It is desirable to provide a display unit that suppresses the generationof display unevenness and strain on the front surface of a front panel.

A first display unit according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure includes: a display panel having a pair of substrates, inwhich the substrates are bonded to each other in a seal region along anouter edge of the display panel; a transparent plate facing the displaypanel; an optical film provided on a surface of the display panel whichfaces the transparent plate, and having an outer edge positioned overthe seal region; and a resin layer sandwiched between the optical filmand the transparent plate.

According to the first display unit in the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the outer edge of the optical film is positioned over theseal region of the display panel. Since the pair of substrates are fixedto each other in the seal region, even when the pair of substratesundergo external force from the outer edge of the optical film, nostrain occurs on the display panel easily. Moreover, since thedifference in occupied area between the display panel and the opticalfilm decreases, part of the resin layer which protrudes from the outeredge of the optical film and makes contact with the display panel ismade relatively small in area.

A second display unit according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure includes: a display panel; a transparent plate facing thedisplay panel; an optical film provided on a surface of the displaypanel which faces the transparent plate; and a resin layer sandwichedbetween the optical film and the transparent plate, and having an outeredge positioned on inner side of an outer edge of the optical film.

According to the second display unit in the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the outer edge of the resin layer is positioned on the innerside of the outer edge of the optical film. Therefore, the resin layerdoes not protrude from the optical film, and has a substantially uniformthickness as a whole.

A display unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremakes it possible to reduce load stress locally applied to a displaypanel and a transparent plate. Consequently, it is possible to provide adisplay unit that is capable of supporting a slim design of atransparent plate and reducing display unevenness.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended toprovide further explanation of the technology as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitutea part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments and,together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of thetechnology.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a displayunit according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration of the display unit inFIG. 1 as seen from a light-shielding layer side.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view showing one step of a method ofmanufacturing the display unit in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing another step of the method ofmanufacturing the display unit in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a step following the step inFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a first modification of thedisplay unit in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modification of thedisplay unit in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a third modification of thedisplay unit in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a displayunit according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the display unitin FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a displayunit according to a comparative example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below indetail, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The descriptionwill be given in the following order. It is to be noted that the presentdisclosure is not limited to examples that will be described below, andknown components may be added to the examples as appropriate.

1. First Embodiment and its Modifications

(An exemplary display unit in which an outer edge of an optical film ispositioned over a seal region of a display panel.)

2. Second Embodiment and its Modification

(An exemplary display unit in which an outer edge of a resin film ispositioned on the inner side of the outer edge of an optical film.)

3. Examples First Embodiment (Configuration of Display Unit 1)

FIG. 1 schematically shows a cross-sectional configuration of a displayunit 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Thedisplay unit 1 may be a liquid crystal display unit which may be used asa display monitor for television apparatuses, notebook personalcomputers, car navigation systems, and the like. In the display unit 1,a resin layer 20, a transparent substrate 30, and a light-shieldinglayer 50 are provided, in this order, on the front surface(light-emitting surface) of a display panel 10. A backlight unit 60 isprovided under the rear surface (light incident surface) of the displaypanel 10. Both the display panel 10 and the backlight unit 60 arearranged within an exterior member 70.

The display panel 10 is a liquid crystal display panel that displaysimages on the basis of illumination light from the backlight unit 60,and employs an active matrix system in which an image is displayed foreach pixel on the basis of image signals transmitted from a data driver(not shown) and in response to drive signals supplied from a gate driver(not shown). The display panel 10 may have pixels (not shown), forexample, 3840 or more of which are arranged in an X direction and 2160or more of which are arranged in a Y direction. Each pixel includes red,green, and blue sub-pixels that emit red light, green light, and bluelight, respectively. The display panel 10 includes a drive substrate10A, a counter substrate 10B, and a liquid crystal layer (not shown)encapsulated therebetween. Film-shaped polarizing plates 11A and 11B asoptical films are bonded to the outer surfaces of the drive substrate10A and the counter substrate 10B, respectively. The drive substrate 10Aincludes a thin film transistors (TFTs), a drive circuit, and a wiringsubstrate arranged, for example, on a glass substrate; the thin filmtransistors (TFTs) drive the corresponding pixels, the drive circuitsupplies the image signals and the like to the pixels, and the wiringsubstrate is connectable to one or more exterior devices. The countersubstrate 10B includes color filters (not shown) for the three primarycolors (R, G, and B) formed for each pixel, for example, on a glasssubstrate. The liquid crystal layer used contains a nematic liquidcrystal that operates, for example, in vertical alignment (VA), twistednematic (TN), or in plane switching (IPS) mode. The drive substrate 10Aand the counter substrate 10B do not necessarily have to be arranged inthis order. The color filters do not necessarily have to be provided, ormay be provided in the drive substrate 10A instead of the countersubstrate 10B. In addition, the drive elements may be any given elementsother than TFTs.

FIG. 2 shows a planar configuration of the display unit 1 in FIG. 1 asseen from the light-shielding layer 50 side. FIG. 1 shows a crosssection taken along a cut line I-I in FIG. 2 as seen in the arrowdirection. The display panel 10 has a display region A (a rectangularregion surrounded by an outer edge a1) and a surrounding region B (aframe-shaped region defined between the outer edge a1 and an outer edgea2 of the display panel 10) that surrounds the display region A. Thedisplay region A contains the plurality of pixels arranged in a matrixfashion; the surrounding region B contains the drive circuit that drivesthe pixels, the wiring substrate that is connectable to one or moreexterior devices, and the like, as described above. The drive substrate10A is bonded, for example, with an adhesive (not shown) to the countersubstrate 10B, in a seal region C contained in the surrounding region Balong the outer edge a2. The polarizing plate 11B has an outer edge 11BKpositioned over the seal region C. In other words, the outer edge 11BKof the polarizing plate 11B is positioned between an inner edge a3 ofthe seal region C and the outer edge a2 of the display panel 10. In thisembodiment, the seal region C corresponds to part of the surroundingregion B surrounding the display region A; however it may correspond tothe whole of the surrounding region B.

The resin layer 20 has a function of reducing light reflected at theinterfaces between the display panel 10 and the transparent substrate30, and is provided to increase a shock tolerance. The resin layer 20may be made of, for example, an ultraviolet or visible light curingsilicone-based, epoxy-based, or acrylic-based resin, and desirably itmay be made of an acrylic-based resin. The acrylic resin may desirablyhave a resin composition that contains an oligomer, an acrylic monomer,a photopolymerization initiator, and a plasticizer. Examples of theoligomer may include polyurethane acrylate, polyisoprene-based acrylate,polyester acrylate, and epoxy acrylate. Preferable examples of theacrylic monomer may include iso-bornyl acrylate, benzyl acrylate,2-hydro-xyethyl methacrylate, and other monofunctional acrylic monomers.

It is desirable for the resin layer 20 made of the above to have a cureshrinkage ratio of about 3% or less upon curing of the resin, in orderto reduce display unevenness, and to have a storage elasticity modulusof about 1.0×10⁶ Pa or less after the curing of the resin.

The thickness of the resin layer 20 may desirably be about 20 μm to 5mm, more desirably, about 20 μm to 500 μm. If the thickness of the resinlayer 20 is less than 20 μm, its adhesion strength may decrease or itsmanufacturing capability may be lowered. If the thickness of the resinlayer 20 exceeds 500 μm, a sense of depth of a displayed image maybecome excessively prominent, the appearance may be worsened, theincreased use of the resin may cause the cost increase, and the overallweight of the display unit 1 may increase. Furthermore, the resin layer20 desirably covers not only the upper surface of the polarizing plate11B but also the outer edge 11BK, as shown in FIG. 1. This prevents thepolarizing plate 11B from being exposed, thereby sufficiently protectingthe polarizing plate 11B.

The transparent substrate 30 is a so-called front panel, which isprovided to protect the front surface of the display panel 10 and toenhance an appearance. The transparent substrate 30 may have a thicknessof, for example, about 0.2 mm to 5.0 mm, and be made of, for example,glass or plastic. Examples of the plastic may include acrylic andpolycarbonate. However, the transparent substrate 30 may desirably bemade of a glass material because of its dimensional stability, inparticular, when being used in a large-sized display unit. The frontsurface (on the viewer's side or light-emitting side) of the transparentsubstrate 30 may undergo a non-reflective or low-reflective treatment.

The transparent substrate 30 is larger in overall size than the displaypanel 10, and therefore an outer edge b2 of the transparent substrate 30protrudes outwardly from the outer edge a2 of the display panel 10, forexample, by about 5 mm to 100 mm. A rectangular region in thetransparent substrate 30 which faces the display region A serves as alight transmitting section A1 through which light passes.

The light-shielding layer 50 is provided in a frame-shaped region on afront surface 30A of the transparent substrate 30 which faces thesurrounding region B, in order to enhance an image quality andappearance. The thickness of the light-shielding layer 50 may be, forexample, about 0.1 μm to 100 μm, and configured with an opaque materialmade of, for example, carbon black, metal, or some other materialcontaining a pigment, a colorant, or the like. Preferably, an inner edgeb1 of the light-shielding layer 50 is positioned on the outer side ofthe outer edge a1 between the display region A and the surroundingregion B in the display panel 10. This makes it possible to prevent thepixels in the display panel 10 from being hidden by the light-shieldinglayer 50, when a viewer sees the display unit 1 in a certain obliquedirection.

The backlight unit 60 has, for example, a fluorescent tube such as acold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) or light emitting diodes (LEDs) asa light source, and illuminates the rear of the display panel 10directly or through an optical member such as an optical waveguide.

The display unit 1 configured above may be manufactured in the followingmanner.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4 show part of the method of manufacturing the displayunit 1 in order of process. First, the display panel 10 is fabricated,as shown in FIG. 3A. More specifically, the drive substrate 10A in whichthe TFTs, the drive circuits, and the like are disposed is bonded to thecounter substrate 10B in which the color filters are arranged, with theliquid crystal layer (not shown) therebetween. Then, the polarizingplates 11A and 11B are bonded to the outer surfaces of the drivesubstrate 10A and the counter substrate 10B, respectively.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3B, the light-shielding layer 50 is formedon the front surface 30A of the transparent substrate 30. Morespecifically, the light-shielding layer 50 is provided, for example, bybeing printed on the front surface 30A with a binder in which apredetermined opaque material is dispersed or dissolved or by beingdeposited directly on the front surface 30A. Alternatively, for example,a transparent film 51 on which the light-shielding layer 50 may beprinted may be bonded to the entire front surface 30A of the transparentsubstrate 30.

The front surface 30A (on the viewer's side) of the transparentsubstrate 30 may undergo a non-reflective or low-reflective treatment.This treatment may be performed, for example, by depositing anon-reflective or low-reflective material on the front surface 30A,coating the front surface 30A with the non-reflective or low-reflectivematerial, or bonding a non-reflective or low-reflective film to thefront surface.

Followed by, as shown in FIG. 4, the display panel and the transparentsubstrate 30, which have been fabricated in the above manner, arestacked on each other, for example, with a light curing liquid resin 21therebetween. Then, the front surface 30A of the transparent substrate30 is irradiated with light L having a predetermined wavelength, such asultraviolet or visible light, which enables the resin 21 to be cured.Specifically, light with a wavelength that corresponds to the absorptionwavelength for the photopolymerization initiator contained in the resin21 may be used. In this case, for example, a lamp with a center emissionwavelength of about 365 nm or 405 nm, or an LED with an emissionwavelength of about 365 nm or 405 nm may be used, for the viewpoint ofproductivity. The illuminance or light amount of the light L may bedetermined, for example, depending on compositions contained in thematerial of the resin 21, or the thickness of the resin 21. Morespecifically, the accumulated light amount and illuminance of the lightL may preferably be set so as to fall within ranges from about 1500mJ/cm² to 15000 mJ/cm² and 10 mW/cm² to 500 mW/cm², respectively.Preferably the resin 21 may be applied such that its thickness becomesas uniform as possible, for example, with a slit coating, roll coating,screen print, or stencil print method.

After the transparent substrate 30 and the display panel 10 have beenbonded to each other with the resin layer 20 therebetween in the abovemanner, the bonded display panel and the transparent substrate 30 areplaced within the exterior member 70, together with the backlight unit60. Through the above processing, the display unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 hasbeen completed.

(Function and Effect of Display Unit 1)

When light from the backlight unit 60 enters the display panel 10 in thedisplay unit 1, this incident light passes through the polarizing plate11A. Then, the incident light passes through the liquid crystal layer(not shown) while being modulated for each pixel on the basis of animage voltage applied between the drive substrate 10A and the countersubstrate 10B. After having passed through the liquid crystal layer, thelight passes through the counter substrate 10B with the color filters(not shown), and then is output from the polarizing plate 11B as colordisplay light.

In the display panel 10 of the display unit 1, the polarizing plate 11Bis provided on the surface of the counter substrate 10B which faces thetransparent substrate 30, and the outer edge 11BK of the polarizingplate 11B is positioned over the seal region C. When the resin 21 iscured to form the resin layer 20, its volume decreases. At this time,external force is applied to the counter substrate 10B, and this forcewould be maximized at the outer edge 11BK of the polarizing plate 11Band its surrounding area. The display panel 10, however, has a greaterstrength in the seal region C than in another region, because the drivesubstrate 10A and the counter substrate 10B are fixed to each other inthe seal region C with the liquid crystal layer encapsulatedtherebetween. Therefore, for example, even when both the drive substrate10A and the counter substrate 10B undergo external force from the outeredge 11BK of the polarizing plate 11B in response to the shrinkage ofthe resin layer 20, no strain occurs on the display panel 10 easily. Asa result, the distance (cell gap) between the drive substrate 10A andthe counter substrate 10B is kept constant, so that display unevennessis less likely to be generated.

In contrast, in a display unit 101 of a comparative example, as shown inFIG. 10, an outer edge 11BK of a polarizing plate 11B is positioned onthe inner side of a seal region C (on a display region side). In otherwords, the outer edge 11BK is positioned in a region corresponding to asection other than that in which a drive substrate 10A is fixed to acounter substrate 10B. When both the drive substrate 10A and the countersubstrate 10B undergo external force from the outer edge 11BK of thepolarizing plate 11B in response to the shrinkage of a resin layer 20,strain occurs on the display panel 10, possibly causing displayunevenness. Moreover, in a resin layer 20 of the display unit 101, athickness T1 of a central region is larger than a thickness T2 of aperipheral region. Therefore, when a resin layer 21 is cured to form theresin layer 20, the peripheral section with the larger thickness T2 isshrunk more greatly. As a result, stress is generated in the resin layer20.

In the display unit 1 in the present embodiment, the outer edge 11BK ofthe polarizing plate 11B is positioned corresponding to the seal regionC, and area in which a peripheral region having a thickness T2 is formedis smaller than that in the display unit 101. Since the difference inoccupied area between the display panel 10 and the polarizing plate 11Bis smaller than that in the display unit 101, area in which the resinlayer 20 protruding from the outer edge 11BK of the polarizing plate 11Bis in contact with the display panel 10 becomes relatively small. It isthus possible to reduce stress generated in the resin layer 20, therebyavoiding the generation of the display unevenness.

As described above, the display unit 1 in this embodiment is capable ofreducing load stress locally applied to the display panel 10 and thetransparent substrate 30, thereby successfully supporting a slim designof both the display panel 10 and the transparent substrate 30 andreducing display unevenness. In general, high resolution display panelsin which 3840 or more pixels are arranged in an X direction and 2160 ormore pixels are arranged in a Y direction tend to cause displayunevenness at its periphery. The display unit 1 in this embodiment stillbecomes effective in improving this disadvantage.

[First Modification of First Embodiment] (Configuration of Display Unit1A)

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional configuration of a primary part of adisplay unit 1A according to a first modification of the display unit 1described above in the first embodiment. The display unit 1A hassubstantially the same configuration as the display unit 1, except thatan outer edge 20K of a resin layer 20 is positioned on the inner side ofan outer edge 11BK of a polarizing plate 11B.

(Function and Effect of Display Unit 1A)

When the outer edge 20K of the resin layer 20 sandwiched between thepolarizing plate 11B and a transparent substrate 30 is positioned on theinner side of the outer edge 11BK of the polarizing plate 11B as in thismodification, a thickness T1 of the resin layer 20 becomes uniform. Itis accordingly possible for the display unit 1A to reduce thenonuniformity of the shrinkage of the resin 21 when a resin 21 is curedto from the resin layer 20, in comparison with a case where the resinlayer 20 has regions of the thicknesses T1 and T2 as in the display unit1, thus better reducing stress generated in the resin layer 20.Consequently, the display unit 1A is suitable for a further slim designof a display panel 10 and the transparent substrate 30.

[Second Modification of First Embodiment] (Configuration of Display Unit1B)

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional configuration of a primary part of adisplay unit 1B according to a second modification of the display unit 1described above in the first embodiment. The display unit 1B hassubstantially the same configuration as the display unit 1, except thata resin layer 20 contains a plurality of spacers 80 formed, for example,in a spherical shape. Each spacer 80 may preferably be made of, forexample, transparent resin or glass, and has a diameter corresponding tothe thickness of the resin layer 20. The number of spacers 80 and theirarrangement locations are not limited to those in FIG. 6. Therefore, thespacers 80 may be arranged throughout the resin layer 20. However, thespacers 80 may desirably be arranged only in a surrounding region B ofthe resin layer 20, so that it is possible to reliably avoid the visualperception of the spacers 80 present in the display region A and todecrease a cost. In order to allow the spacers 80 to be contained onlyin the surrounding region B of the resin layer 20, for example, a liquidresin 21 may be applied evenly to a surface of a polarizing plate 11B,and then the spacers 80 may be placed only at the periphery of a filmmade of the uncured resin 21.

(Function and Effect of Display Unit 1B)

Allowing the spacers 80 to be contained in the resin layer 20 in thismanner makes it possible to prevent the resin 21 from protruding fromthe edge of the display panel 10, when a transparent substrate 30 ispressed toward a display panel 10 in order to bond the display panel 10to the transparent substrate 30 with the resin 21 therebetween.Desirably, a process for bonding the display panel 10 to the transparentsubstrate 30 may be performed in a vacuum, so that air bubbles areprevented from being created in the resin layer 20. Alternatively, ifthe process is performed in the atmosphere, preferably the transparentsubstrate 30 may be curved, and the curved transparent substrate 30 ispartially pressed toward the display panel 10 and bonded thereto whilethe pressed part is sequentially changed from one end to the other end.In this case, there is a risk of protruding the resin 21 from the edgeof the display panel 10, but allowing the spacers 80 to be contained inthe uncured resin 21 successfully reduces this risk. Furthermore, thepresence of the spacers 80 enables the distance between the displaypanel 10 and the transparent substrate 30 to be made more uniform.

[Third Modification of First Embodiment] (Configuration of Display Unit1C)

FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional configuration of a primary part of adisplay unit 1C according to a third modification of the display unit 1described above in the first embodiment. The display unit 1C hassubstantially the same configuration as the display unit 1, except thatan outer edge 20K of a resin layer 20 is positioned on the inner side ofan outer edge 11BK of a polarizing plate 11B and the resin layer 20contains a plurality of spacers 80 formed, for example, in a sphericalshape.

(Function and Effect of Display Unit 1C)

The resin layer 20 in the display unit 1C has a uniform thickness T1,which enables stress generated in the resin layer 20 to be betterreduced. Moreover, the presence of the spacers 80 makes it possible toprevent a resin 21 from protruding from the edge of the display panel 10when the display panel 10 is bonded to the transparent substrate 30, andto equalize the distance between the display panel 10 and thetransparent substrate 30. Consequently, the display unit 1C is suitablefor a further slim design of the display panel 10 and a transparentsubstrate 30.

Second Embodiment (Configuration of Display Unit 2)

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional configuration of a primary part of adisplay unit 2 according to a second embodiment of the presenttechnology. In the display unit 2, a resin layer 20 has an outer edge20K positioned on the inner side of an outer edge 11BK of a polarizingplate 11B. Specifically, for example, the outer edge 11BK is positionedin a region other than a seal region C in a surrounding region B. Exceptfor these features, the display unit 2 has substantially the sameconfiguration as the display unit 1 described above in the firstembodiment. The outer edge 11BK may be positioned over the seal regionC, in which case the configuration of the display unit 2 becomessubstantially the same as that of the display unit 1A described above(FIG. 5).

(Function and Effect of Display Unit 2)

In the display unit 2 configured above, the outer edge 20K of the resinlayer 20 sandwiched between the polarizing plate 11B and a transparentsubstrate 30 is positioned on the inner side of the outer edge 11BK ofthe polarizing plate 11B, so that the resin layer 20 has a uniformthickness T1. It is therefore possible for the display unit 2 to reducethe nonuniformity of the shrinkage of the resin 21 when a resin 21 iscured to form the resin layer 20, in comparison with the case where theresin layer 20 has regions of thicknesses T1 and T2 as in the displayunit 1, thus better reducing stress generated in the resin layer 20.Consequently, the display unit 2 is suitable for a further slim designof the display panel 10 and the transparent substrate 30.

[Modification of Second Embodiment]

A display unit 2A shown in FIG. 9 has substantially the sameconfiguration as the display unit 2, except that, for example, theplurality of spacers 80 in the display unit 1B shown in FIG. 9 arecontained in the resin layer 20 in the display unit 2. The presence ofthe spacers 80 makes it possible to prevent a resin 21 from protrudingfrom the edge of the display panel 10 when a display panel 10 is bondedto a transparent substrate 30, and to better equalize the distancebetween the display panel 10 and the transparent substrate 30.

3. Example

Specific Examples of the present disclosure will be described below;however the present technology is not limited to Examples.

Experimental Examples 1-1 to 1-3

The display units 1A (FIG. 5) that have been described as the firstmodification of the first embodiment were fabricated. Specificmanufacturing procedures will be described below.

First, the display panels 10 with a screen size of 55 inches in diagonallength, which contained a VA type of transmissive liquid crystal, wereprepared. Each display panel 10 was provided with the surrounding regionB having a width of 8 mm around the display region A. The surface ofeach display panel 10 was provided with the polarizing plate 11A havinga thickness of 150 μm. A region of each display panel 10 which spannedinwardly from the outer edge a2 by 2 mm was defined as the seal regionC. Then, the transparent substrate 30 was stacked on each display panel10 with the ultraviolet light curing resin 21 having a thickness of 70μm therebetween. The resin 21 used had a cure shrinkage ratio of 2.5%and a storage elasticity modulus of 1.2×10⁻⁵ Pa at ambient temperature;the transparent substrate 30 used was a chemically toughened glasshaving a thickness of 0.7 mm. Following this, the front surface 30A andside surface 30B of each transparent substrate 30 were irradiated withultraviolet light, so that the resin 21 is cured to form the resin layer20. In this case, the irradiation light source used was a metal halidelamp that had high light emission peaks at 365 nm and 405 nm, and theirradiance and irradiation time were set to 100 mW/cm² and 1 minute,respectively. The distances between the outer edges a2 and the outeredges 20K and between the outer edges a2 and the outer edges 11BK wereset as shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 DISPLAY PANEL SIZE: 55 INCHES Distance Distance of of OuterOuter edges edges a2 Strain on Corresponding a2 and 20K and 11BKTransparent Display Structure [mm] [mm] Spacer Substrate UnevennessExperimental FIG. 5 2.0 1.0 none good good Example 1-1 Experimental FIG.5 3.0 2.0 none good good Example 1-2 Experimental FIG. 5 4.0 3.0 nonegood good Example 1-3 Experimental FIG. 7 2.0 1.0 70 μm good goodExample 1-4 Experimental FIG. 7 3.0 2.0 70 μm good good Example 1-5Experimental FIG. 7 4.0 3.0 70 μm good good Example 1-6 ExperimentalFIG. 1 0.0 0.5 none good good Example 1-7 Experimental FIG. 1 0.5 1.0none good good Example 1-8 Experimental FIG. 1 0.5 1.5 none good goodExample 1-9 Experimental FIG. 1 1.0 1.5 none good good Example 1-10Experimental FIG. 10 0.5 2.5 none poor poor Example 1-11 ExperimentalFIG. 10 1.0 3.0 none poor poor Example 1-12 Experimental FIG. 10 1.5 4.0none poor poor Example 1-13 Experimental FIG. 10 2.0 5.0 none poor poorExample 1-14

Experimental Examples 1-4 to 1-6

The display units 1C (FIG. 7) that have been described as the thirdmodification of the first embodiment were fabricated. In this case,these examples were fabricated in the same manner as in ExperimentalExamples 1-1 to 1-3 described above, except that spherical spacers 80having a diameter of 70 μm were allowed to be contained in each resinlayer 20.

Experimental Examples 1-7 to 1-10

The display units 1 that have been described as the first embodiment(FIG. 1) were fabricated. In this case, these examples were fabricatedin the same manner as in Experimental Examples 1-1 to 1-3 describedabove, except that the distances between the outer edges a2 and theouter edges 20K and between the outer edges a2 and the outer edges 11BKwere set as shown in Table 1.

Experimental Examples 1-11 to 1-14

The display units 101 (FIG. 10) that have been described as thecomparative example of the first embodiment were fabricated. In thiscase, these examples were fabricated in the same manner as inExperimental Examples 1-1 to 1-3 described above, except that thedistances between the outer edges a2 and the outer edges 20K and betweenthe outer edges a2 and the outer edges 11BK were set as shown in Table1.

Experimental Examples 2-1 to 2-14

These examples were fabricated in the same manner as in ExperimentalExamples 1-1 to 1-14 described above, except that the display panel 10had a screen size of 65 inches in diagonal length. The distances betweenthe outer edges a2 and the outer edges 20K and between the outer edgesa2 and the outer edges 11BK were set as shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 DISPLAY PANEL SIZE: 65 INCHES Distance Distance of of OuterOuter edges edges a2 Strain on Corresponding a2 and 20K and 11BKTransparent Display Structure [mm] [mm] Spacer Substrate UnevennessExperimental FIG. 5 2.0 1.0 none good good Example 2-1 Experimental FIG.5 3.0 2.0 none good good Example 2-2 Experimental FIG. 5 4.0 3.0 nonegood good Example 2-3 Experimental FIG. 7 2.0 1.0 70 μm good goodExample 2-4 Experimental FIG. 7 3.0 2.0 70 μm good good Example 2-5Experimental FIG. 7 4.0 3.0 70 μm good good Example 2-6 ExperimentalFIG. 1 0.0 0.5 none good good Example 2-7 Experimental FIG. 1 0.5 1.0none good good Example 2-8 Experimental FIG. 1 0.5 1.5 none good goodExample 2-9 Experimental FIG. 1 1.0 1.5 none good good Example 2-10Experimental FIG. 10 0.5 2.5 none poor poor Example 2-11 ExperimentalFIG. 10 1.0 3.0 none poor poor Example 2-12 Experimental FIG. 10 1.5 4.0none poor poor Example 2-13 Experimental FIG. 10 2.0 5.0 none poor poorExample 2-14

It was checked whether or not strain on the front surfaces 30A of thetransparent substrates 30 and display unevenness were present in theresultant display units of Examples. The results are shown in Tables 1and 2. In Tables 1 and 2, “good” indicates that no defective wasobserved, and “poor” indicates that a defective was prominent and theappearance and image had poor qualities.

As shown in Tables 1 and 2, strain on the front surfaces 30A of thetransparent substrates 30 and display unevenness were not perceived inExamples 1-1 to 1-10 and 2-1 to 2-10. Therefore, it has been confirmedthat the present technology provides a display unit that suppresses thegeneration of display unevenness and strain on a surface of a frontplate.

Up to this point, the embodiments of the present disclosure and theirmodifications have been described; however the present disclosure is notlimited to these embodiments and the like, and may be modified andvaried in various manners. For example, the material and thickness ofeach layer are not limited to those described in the embodiments and thelike, and other material and thickness may be employed.

The embodiments and the like of the present disclosure have beendescribed regarding the case where a liquid crystal display panel isused as the display panel 10; however the present disclosure is stilleffective when the display panel 10 is applied to organicelectroluminescence (EL) panels, plasma display panels, and other typesof display panels. Thus, even when any one of the above types of displaypanels is used as the display panel 10, it is possible to avoid thedeterioration of an image quality by reducing strain on the transparentsubstrate 30 disposed in front of the display panel 10.

Furthermore, the technology encompasses any possible combination of someor all of the various embodiments described herein and incorporatedherein.

It is possible to achieve at least the following configurations from theabove-described example embodiments of the disclosure.

(1) A display unit including:

a display panel having a pair of substrates, the substrates being bondedto each other in a seal region along an outer edge of the display panel;

a transparent plate facing the display panel;

an optical film provided on a surface of the display panel which facesthe transparent plate, and having an outer edge positioned over the sealregion; and

a resin layer sandwiched between the optical film and the transparentplate.

(2) The display unit according to (1), wherein the resin layer coversthe outer edge of the optical film.

(3) The display unit according to (1) or (2), wherein the resin layercontains a particle-shaped spacer having a diameter corresponding to athickness of the resin layer.

(4) A display unit including:

a display panel;

a transparent plate facing the display panel;

an optical film provided on a surface of the display panel which facesthe transparent plate; and

a resin layer sandwiched between the optical film and the transparentplate, and having an outer edge positioned on inner side of an outeredge of the optical film.

(5) The display unit according to (4), wherein

the display panel has a pair of substrates, the substrates being bondedto each other in a seal region along an outer edge of the display panel,and

the outer edge of the optical film is positioned over the seal region.

(6) The display unit according to (4) or (5), wherein the resin layercontains a particle-shaped spacer having a diameter corresponding to athickness of the resin layer.

(7) The display unit according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein thedisplay panel has a plurality of pixels, 3840 or more of the pixelsbeing arranged in a first direction, and 2160 or more of the pixelsbeing arranged in a second direction.

(8) The display unit according to (7), wherein each of the pixelsincludes a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel, and a third sub-pixel,the first sub-pixel emitting red light, the second sub-pixel emittinggreen light, the third sub-pixel emitting blue light.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display unit comprising: a display panel havinga pair of substrates, the substrates being bonded to each other in aseal region along an outer edge of the display panel; a transparentplate facing the display panel; an optical film provided on a surface ofthe display panel which faces the transparent plate, and having an outeredge positioned over the seal region; and a resin layer sandwichedbetween the optical film and the transparent plate.
 2. The display unitaccording to claim 1, wherein the resin layer covers the outer edge ofthe optical film.
 3. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein theresin layer contains a particle-shaped spacer having a diametercorresponding to a thickness of the resin layer.
 4. A display unitcomprising: a display panel; a transparent plate facing the displaypanel; an optical film provided on a surface of the display panel whichfaces the transparent plate; and a resin layer sandwiched between theoptical film and the transparent plate, and having an outer edgepositioned on inner side of an outer edge of the optical film.
 5. Thedisplay unit according to claim 4, wherein the display panel has a pairof substrates, the substrates being bonded to each other in a sealregion along an outer edge of the display panel, and the outer edge ofthe optical film is positioned over the seal region.
 6. The display unitaccording to claim 4, wherein the resin layer contains a particle-shapedspacer having a diameter corresponding to a thickness of the resinlayer.
 7. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the displaypanel has a plurality of pixels, 3840 or more of the pixels beingarranged in a first direction, and 2160 or more of the pixels beingarranged in a second direction.
 8. The display unit according to claim7, wherein each of the pixels includes a first sub-pixel, a secondsub-pixel, and a third sub-pixel, the first sub-pixel emitting redlight, the second sub-pixel emitting green light, the third sub-pixelemitting blue light.